The Wilfrid Laurier men’s football team has added another former Western Mustangs quarterback to their coaching staff, as the Hawks have recently hired Will Finch as their quarterback coach for the upcoming 2017-18 season.
Finch was widely noted as one of the best quarterbacks in the OUA as he suited up for the Mustangs from 2012-16. Unfortunately for Finch and the Mustangs, he was forced to retire from football after his fourth season out of fear of suffering long-term damage from more concussions.
Since retiring from football, Finch has been committed to giving back to the game of football, as he has subsequently opened up Finch Performance in Burlington.
Finch Performance is a quarterback training program designed to give Canadian quarterbacks the training they need to reach the next level.
“It’s a chance for me to give back. I was in their spot at one point. It’s important too for them to develop because a lot of Canadian quarterbacks don’t get the coaching that they need,” Finch said.
Finch emphasized the importance of focusing on a total package approach to being both a successful quarterback and athlete.
“I outline the package as the four pillars: biomechanics, nutrition, functional strength and mental emotional management … these are all four aspects of being a quarterback.”
Finch said the transition from player to a coach wasn’t overly difficult for him.
“When you’re a quarterback, you basically are a coach … you pick up things likes cues and all that stuff so it’s not that big of an adjustment for me,” he said.
In regards to the upcoming season, Finch is excited to return to the OUA.
“I’ve been to one winter practice session so far and I like what I see. The guys are pretty good.”
Finch, however, noted it’s a bit of an adjustment coaching a team that he was trained to hate for four seasons when he represented the purple and white.
“It’s kind of weird wearing a different shade of purple for sure. I’m only 23 too, so a lot of these guys I’ve actually played against — but that being said, I know [head coach Michael] Faulds well and we have a good relationship and we share the same passion of winning a Yates, and ultimately a Vanier.”
On an interesting note, Finch was at the 2016 Yates cup as a fan and was equally entertained as most fans by what took place
“At the time, the result was a little unfortunate [for me], but it was cool to see the momentum changes throughout the game. When Laurier would score, their side would erupt and then when Western would score, their side would erupt and seeing the excitement shift back and forth was pretty amazing.”
Faulds, Finch and the rest of the Hawks are in for what should be another fun ride next season.